How To Take The Train To And From Denver Airport

I’m a fan of trains when I travel. Traffic is unpredictable, especially in cities I don’t travel to frequently. Trains are generally clean and on schedule. Since Denver opened the new train line last year, I decided to put together a quick guide on how to take the train to the airport.

There are a number of stops on the new “A line” train. I imagine the most popular one is located adjacent to Union Station in downtown Denver. At Wynkoop Plaza, you’ll find a variety of signs directing you to the tracks.

You’re looking for silver and blue kiosks to purchase a ticket. They’re located at various places throughout the train platform. The steps are pretty straightforward. Choose “airport” and pay the $9 one-way fare. Beats a taxi or Uber by a bunch, considering how far away the airport is!

When I traveled, I noted the ticket said “1 Regional/Airport Day Pass”. That makes me wonder if you could use it to ride out and back, such as picking up a friend. The trains to the airport generally leave from Track 3. There is both an overhead walkway and underground passage to get between the various tracks.

The trains themselves are new and clean. There are luggage racks beside the doors. You can also fit a suitcase at your seat.

The trains leave every 15 minutes and take just shy of 40 minutes to cover the route to/from the airport. There’s a complete schedule on the RTD website. Considering it’s a 25-minute car-ride from downtown with no traffic, 37 minutes isn’t bad at all. Those who live in Denver or visit frequently will know there’s plenty of traffic on I-70.

Once you arrive at the final station, it’s just a quick walk to an escalator. The escalator drops you off right at the entrance to airport security.

Train From Denver Airport To Downtown

If you’re heading from the airport to downtown, the steps are pretty much exactly the reverse. When you get to baggage claim, head to the South side of the terminal. You’ll be able to see the Westin hotel past the escalators. Proceed outside and down the escalator directly in front of the doors. Once you come down the escalator, pull a u-turn and you’ll find ticket machines.

All the trains at this station go to Union Station (and the stops in between), so you can’t make a mistake.

The Final Two Pennies

The ride from downtown Denver to the airport was easy. It took me a few minutes to find a ticket kiosk and the right track. Even though I wasn’t 100% sure where to go, I was onboard a train within 5 minutes of getting to the platform. The train is an easy, quiet way to cover the trip to Denver Airport. $9 is a really reasonable price considering the cost of a 20-mile Uber ride and/or airport parking.

And, with the upcoming massive construction project along I-70, the 37-minute trip may end up also being a time-saver for a few years.

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About the Author

My goal in life is to fill my family’s passports with stamps, creating buckets of memories along the way. You’ll find me writing about realistic ways for normal people to travel the world, whether you’re on a budget or enjoy luxury. I also enjoy taking us on the occasional detour to explore the inner workings of the travel industry.

8 Comments

I took the train just shortly after it opened for business in June 2016. This is an idiot-proof ride. As Ed mentioned, just head to the train after you get your luggage. The machine is easy to figure out. If you’ve ever purchased BART tickets at SFO, you know what I mean. Clean new trains that take you downtown. Once your downtown Denver, they have a free shuttle bus. That bus took me a block or so away from the Hyatt Convention Center property.

If you’re arriving/departing on Amtrak, the train to/from DEN is adjacent.

The day pass does work for round trips. The policy is that it is $9 one way to or from the airport, but a regional/airport day pass is $9 and is unlimited trips until 2am. I get the day pass for trips to events at the airport.

Still a little confused. So it costs $9 for a one way trip to and from the airport, but it costs the same $9 to use the rail all day unlimited including going back and forth from the airport or getting off at a station and then getting on again? Why would anybody buy the one ticket then?

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